Jonah Jackson is set to miss a third straight game with a finger injury, and he has perfectly explained why the injury is such a thing.
Amid a long list of injuries for the team, some Detroit Lions’ fans surely see left guard Jonah Jackson listed with a finger injury into a third week and go “Really? A finger injury?” “How could a finger injury keep a player out for this long?”
Lions left tackle Taylor Decker was sidelined for the first eight games last season by an injury to his left index finger. Fully functioning hands and fingers are important for any football player, and for a lineman they are a critical tool to do their job.
Jackson seems sure to miss a third straight game Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Reporters caught up with him on Wednesday, and he explained why a seemingly trivial finger injury is sidelining him–especially considering that during his time at Ohio State he once had a titanium plate inserted through his eye socket to fix a broken orbital bone.
Jonah Jackson has perfect explanation for why finger injury is sidelining him
Jackson got his right ring finger caught in a teammates pads during practice two weeks ago. He suffered damage to bone and tendon, and he still can’t bend the finger. He bumped it against his steering wheel the other day…
"I went to put my hand up on my steering wheel just to put it at the top, and I caught it going down this way,” Jackson said. “It’s not a tear-jerker, but it’s up there.”"
Jackson considers his right hand (his inside hand as a left guard) his “power hand”, so he simply can’t stimy a defensive lineman effectively without it.
Finally got a chance to catch up with Jonah Jackson today. He got the finger caught in a teammate's pads. Still can't flex it. Said he bumped it the other day and it's still in tremendous pain. It's on his power hand, which renders his ability to stop a rusher ineffective.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) September 28, 2022
Jackson did say he wants to return before the bye week, and he decided against surgery that would have landed him on IR. Returning in Week 5 against the New England Patriots seems pretty unlikely though, then the Lions have their bye in Week 6.
Dan Skipper has filled in solidly for Jackson in the last two games, and overall the Lions have built solid line depth to keep their offense rolling thus far. But any questions about Jackson’s toughness should now be totally dismissed, even if a finger injury will always feel small compared to other possible ailments.